Welcome to May! May Day and all kinds of celebrations, from the flowering of favorite shrubs (Northern Hemisphere) to the closing down of gardens (Southern Hemisphere) happen all around the world.

For any who are interested, HOL House Cup standings at the moment show Gryffindor has 17,484 points, Hufflepuff has 28,795 points, Ravenclaw has 32,480 points and Slytherin has 29,354 points. Since we're in the middle of the Term and there is so much happening, and those House points and standings can easily change, I didn't bold or colour them!

GryffindorSky and Kim say they don't have anything planned as such. Mostly there is a huge celebration that Gryffindor has finally ousted all the doxies, nifflers and boggarts from the Common Room so it's safe to come play with the Lions again. There also appeared to be an influx of fine feathered flamingos so watch out for pink feathers when you go visit?

HufflepuffMaxim says the Spiffies will be playing back to back games in the middle of May! On Saturday, HQT plays GQT and on Sunday, HQT plays SQT. Also, come visit the Games Tent (aka Department of Huffle Games and Sports) where someone will probably be having a Challenge or three where you can earn some lovely, shiny Diamonds.

SlytherinArianna reports there are a bunch of games in their Silly Snakes Forum and they welcome more folks to come play! Also, remember that submissions for the next issue of Serpentimes will be accepted. Get your name in print and earn House points!Close to the end of May, Slytherin will be running another Emerald Cup. Remember last year that the theme was Wizard of Oz/Wicked/The Whiz? This year the theme is FRANCE! So be ready to have fun with Beauxbatons, Beauty and the Beast, Les Miz and more.

RavenclawPolaris says that Ravenclaw’s fun Icebreakers activity, run by Arielle and Polaris, and open to all Houses during April, is winding down with results to be announced shortly. In May, a travel themed game called Where in the World is scheduled for Eagles only.

Additional HOL News

Quidditch activities in May include the Quidditch Pickups. What is that? Go here and find out! Remember that there are a couple of Quidditch games scheduled for the middle of May - check here for the dates!

News from Book ClubAmy writes that The Book Club has an exciting month ahead. May is HOL Writing Month. Sharpen those quills and get writing. We encourage writers of all ability to participate. We'll also be continuing with our monthly book discussions -- The Princess Bride is up next!

The Spiffies (Hufflepuff's Quidditch Team) are hosting a Harry Potter trivia thing for Diamonds! All are invited to attend. Click here to see what is happening. If you get there fast enough (we just started today), you can even answer the first two Questions (and earn some Diamonds).

*Avatar made by Amy*"You have the inborn natural right to remain silent. Don't think about it, don't talk about it, shuush ....... STILL." ~ Xaris